Kane Brown, who just celebrated his double-platinum No. 1 hit “What Ifs,” tweeted early Monday that some songwriters in Nashville won't write with him because he's black.

“Damn, some people in Nashville who have pub(lishing) deals won’t write with me because I’m black,” he wrote. “Aight ….. I’m still gonna do my thing 100 (percent).”

The tweet was deleted, but not before country veteran Larry Gatlin of Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers saw it and publically reached out to Brown to schedule a songwriting appointment.

"A lot of (people) are racist," said Gatlin, who has written 28 Top 20 country songs including "All the Gold in California" and "Broken Lady." "It's that old saying, 'Is it better to light a candle than stand there and curse the darkness?'"

Brown’s self-titled gold-selling debut album is home to “What Ifs,” a song he recorded with Lauren Alaina. With the success of “What Ifs,” his streaming numbers and the release of a deluxe album, Brown simultaneously topped all five Billboard country charts in October. "Kane Brown" is currently No. 1 on Billboard’s country albums chart for the sixth week.

Damn some people in Nashville who have pub deals won't write with me cause I'm black 😂 aight..... I'm still gonna do my thing 💯

Brown is biracial, and with the exception of Darius Rucker, it has been decades since an artist of color has had substantial success in country music. Brown was a social media sensation with millions of followers when he signed on with Sony Music Nashville two years ago. Since then, he’s written songs with some of Nashville’s most successful and established songwriters, including Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin and Jordan Schmidt.

Candid language from Brown to his fans isn't uncommon on social media and in his music. In January he tweeted: "Different is the key to success ... people will look down on you for a second but eventually they will see your vision."

Different is the key to success....... people will look down on you for a second but eventually they will see your vision 🔑 pic.twitter.com/4e7DQJNzlb